Transforming Education Systems and Developing Personalized Learning Journeys at Scale.
We need to radically shift our approach to education research, policy, and practice to get on track to 2030.
The Global Education and Research: Unleashing Potential (GEAR:UP) initiative aims to support research and programs to transform education systems. We operationalize this strategy by creating personalized learning journeys at scale to improve learning quality and ultimately work towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 - ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Despite rising school enrollment, global learning levels are stagnant. In 2023, we find ourselves at the halfway mark towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 of Quality Education. Yet, the most recent Sustainable Development Goals Report from July 2023 predicts that, unless something changes, 300 million students globally will lack basic numeracy and literacy skills by 2030.
Expansions in enrollment, which usually benefit the most marginalized populations, have had the unfortunate side-effect that students in classrooms are increasingly diverse in terms of learning level. This is complicated by the fact that value for money in schools has decreased sharply. Test scores remain stagnant even as per-student expenditures are on the rise.
Despite rising expenditures on education, the SDG 2023 Report estimates that there is still a $97 billion funding gap for meeting SDG 4. Without a comprehensive and transformative intervention, achieving SDG 4 appears increasingly elusive.
Research Questions
- Education at its most impactful, has always been a highly personalized journey. How can we shift the focus from producing students who are adept at standardized tests to cultivating skills that create more productive and socially impactful individuals?
- Researchers and policymakers increasingly recognize that a person's learning journey requires a more comprehensive systems approach. The shift from viewing education issues discretely to viewing education as a collective problem involves a full-spectrum view across time and space, necessitating collaboration across various types of people and actors. How can we more effectively identify frictions stakeholders face that prevent them from effectively educating children?
- The systems approach can be a game changer in implementing personalized learning journeys. However, current landscape of data and tools available prevent actors from adopting a systems approach. How can we use data science, big data, and advancements in AI to transform education systems and deliver equitable education for each child?
Faculty Co-Chairs
Asim Khwaja
Faculty Director, CID
Sumitomo-Foundation Professor of International Finance and Development
Harvard Kennedy School
Michela Carlana
Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Harvard Kennedy School
Emiliana Vegas
Professor of Practice
Harvard Graduate School of Education